Charles A. Hanna, Vending Entrepreneur, Dies At 57Emily Jed﻿
Charles Anthony Hanna, one of the vending industry's most dynamic entrepreneurs, died in late April at his home in Lenexa, KS. His company, The Hanna Group, recently celebrated three decades of vending industry involvement...

Coca-Cola, Dr Pepper Reach Distribution AgreementEmily JedCoca-Cola Co. agreed to pay $715 million for the rights to distribute some of Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc.'s most popular brands. The deal will commence on completion of Coca-Cola' proposed acquisition of Coca-Cola Enterprises...

Coke Video Wins Advertising AwardEmily JedThe 'Happiness Machine' video was awarded the Clio Gold Interactive Award. The video has been viewed more than 2.2 million times on YouTube since it was posted on Jan. 12...

DC Approves Extended Drink Tax; Vending Rate Is UnchangedEmily JedThe Council of the District of Columbia new budget extends the city's 6% sales tax to sugar-sweetened and diet soda, sports drinks and energy drinks when sold in grocery and convenience stores. Vending is not affected...

FDA Seeks Public Comment On Front-Of-Pack LabelingEmily JedThe FDA is seeking public participation as it deliberates about how to enhance the usefulness to consumers of point-of-purchase nutrition information. This includes "front-of-pack" labeling on food products...

Food Makers Promise Calorie Cuts To Support First LadyEmily JedA coalition of the nation's leading food and beverage manufacturers has pledged to remove 1.5 trillion calories from their products by the end of 2015. The undertaking is intended to support high-profile anti-obesity campaigns...

Jerry Harold Haase Dies At 70Tim SanfordJerry Harold Haase, who built a Canteen franchise into a regional full-line powerhouse, and past NAMA chairman, is dead at 70. A native of Indianapolis, Haase joined Canteen there in 1971 after returning from the military...

MAEA Honors Full Service Foods GroupEmily JedThe Northeast Pennsylvania Manufacturers and Employers Association recognized Full Service Foods Group for its expansion in Pennsylvania. FSFG was also recognized for using the services of other local businesses and purchasing 70% of its products from them...

MEI Support Center For Easitrax Users Goes LiveEmily JedMEI is building an online community open to all users of Easitrax vending management software. The Easitrax support center's primary goal is to connect operators, so they can share their experiences with using vending management software...

Microtronic, C-Secure Team Up For Cashless Vending, TelemetryTim SanfordMicrotronic Electronic Systems' U.S. distributor reports that it has partnered with C-Secure Systems, a provider of "machine-to-machine" wireless communications applications. They form a team experienced in integrating unattended cashless transaction applications...

NAMA Announces Governance Changes, Seeks Board CandidatesEmily JedNAMA chairman of the board Craig A. Hesch announced that the vending association has modernized its governance structure. The changes expand the size of the board and executive committee, and streamline the association's committee structure...

NAMA Awards Five ScholarshipsEmily JedThe NAMA Foundation has awarded scholarships to five students for the 2010-11 school year. They were selected from a pool of eligible candidates during a random drawing at the vending association's OneShow last month...

NAMA Execs Meet With FDA On Calorie Disclosure RegulationsEmily JedTop executives of National Automatic Merchandising Association met with officials of the Food and Drug Administration to provide guidance as the FDA begins to write regulations on calorie disclosures of food or beverages sold through vending machines..

NAMA Studies Potential Effect Of Card Fee AmendmentTim SanfordNAMA is evaluating the possible impact of an amendment attaching new federal powers of debit card fee regulation to legislation being considered by the Senate. The association believes the amendment that passed the Senate on May 13 is a "positive" for operators...

NAMA's First OneShow Highlights Vending And OCS AdvancesEmily JedNAMA's first-ever OneShow shone the spotlight on an industry abuzz with innovation from April 28 to 30 at the new McCormick Place West Hall. NAMA chief Richard M. Geerdes emphasized the association's commitment to advancing the industry on many fronts. He announced the association is introducing a cashless payment program through an exclusive partnership with Bank of America...

NCR Brings Blockbuster Express Kiosks To TexasEmily JedNCR Corp. announced the first major introduction of its Blockbuster Express-branded DVD-rental kiosks in Texas through the replacement of existing kiosks at 105 Tom Thumb and Randalls food and drug stores...

NCVA Alerts Members To May 12 Legislative Session On State BudgetTim SanfordThe president of the North Carolina Vending Association has alerted vendors to a May 12 session of the General Assembly, which will enact a measure to balance the state's budget. He said operators should be wary of the lawmakers finding any provision in the state's revenue statutes that could be construed as constituting a "loophole" in favor of vending...

NY Governor Reconsiders Soda Tax StrategyEmily JedGov. David Paterson is hoping to win over New York's lawmakers by cushioning the blow of his proposed soda tax to the beverage industry by adding a state sales tax exemption on diet sodas and bottled water...

PA Board Of Ed. Approves School Nutrition RulesEmily JedSchool vending machines in the Keystone State face statewide restrictions following the Pennsylvania's State Board of Education’s approval of student nutrition and physical activity regulations...

Philadelphia Escapes Soda TaxEmily JedMayor Michael Nutter has passed a $3.9 billion budget that shelves his proposed sugary drinks tax, which was fiercely opposed by beverage companies, local small business owners and union members...

Pyramid’s New Curve Deters Bill Acceptor Scamsby Staff Reporter
Pyramid Technologies' new antitheft bill validator is designed to deter the most innovative thieves. Named for the shape of its bill path, the Curve's elongated chute makes "stringing" or "fishing" scams virtually impossible...

Suzo-Happ HQ Relocates To Mt. Prospect, ILNick MontanoSuzo-Happ is relocating from Elk Grove Village to a new facility in Mt. Prospect, IL. The move will consolidate sales and warehouse functions into a modern 81,000-sq.ft. structure...

Treasury Considers Changing U.S. Coin CompositionEmily JedThe U.S. Treasury Department is exploring new ways to mint coins using less expensive materials. The vending industry is reportedly one of a dozen concerned groups poised to weigh in on the implications of such a change...

UK's New Automatic Vendors Ltd. Represents USI In EuropeTim SanfordAutomatic Vendors Ltd., a new distributorship formed by a management team in England, reports that it is off to a strong start in the vending market. Its portfolio of equipment from the world's leading manufacturers is spearheaded by the U-Select-It line, produced in the United States...

25th Anniversary Team Dart Draws 12,000Nick MontanoThe National Dart Association reports that more than 12,000 entrants from four countries competed for a piece of the $500,000 prize purse in Team Dart XXV, which kicked off nine days of soft-tip darting on April 16 at the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas…

AMI's Fay To Serve On Govt. Trade CommitteeMarcus Webb
Bob Fay, director of government relations for AMI Entertainment Network, has been appointed to serve on the U.S. Department of Commerce's Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Consumer Goods...

Amusement Firms Join Casualties Of $1 Billion Tennessee FloodMarcus WebbThe Grand Ole Opry, central shrine of country music, sustained serious water damage and the Opryland Hotel and Convention Center were said to be "under water ... like the Titanic," following historic floods that devastated the Volunteer State during the first week of May...

Anti-Bingo Governor Wins Supreme Court BattleMarcus WebbGov. Bob Riley won a major victory in late May when the state Supreme Court ruled that the state's attorney general was out of bounds last spring when he took over the Governor's Task Force on Illegal Gambling...

Apple Industries Taps Friss PrexyNick MontanoLeading photobooth maker appoints Warren Friss president. Apple's new top executive was former counsel and GM at The Topps Co., where he created Internet trading cards...

Aristocrat Names Moss Gaming Illinois DistributorNick MontanoAristocrat Technologies Inc. has named Moss Gaming Inc., a unit of Moss Distributing Inc., its exclusive distributor for Illinois's video gaming market. Moss will market games in three of Aristocrat's popular cabinet models...

Bandai Namco Launches London-Based International Prize Divisionby Staff ReporterBandai Namco is establishing an international prize merchandise division that will be based in London. Industry veteran Alan Smith heads up the division, which launches with leisure licenses for Ben 10 and Shaun the Sheep, among other iconic brands...

Bay Tek Debuts Pirate-Theme Cannonball BlastNick Montano
Bay Tek Games’ new novelty shooter invites patrons to fire a cannon at a pirate ship. It creates amusement that children can enjoy, but with a sufficiently difficult bonus option to challenge skillful players...

Congress Bypasses ATM Fee Limit... For NowMarcus WebbThe U.S. Senate tabled a proposed 50¢ cap on consumer service fees at automatic teller machines, proposed by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) as an amendment to new U.S. banking legislation...

Dave & Buster's Changes Hands, Settles FTC ChargesMarcus WebbDave & Buster's Inc. and Oak Hill Capital Partners closed on a deal in early June to buy the restaurant and entertainment chain. The acquisition, announced in May, was led by D&B's management team...

Dave & Buster's Is Sold For $570 MillionMarcus WebbDave & Buster's is changing owners, with Wellspring Capital Management agreeing to sell the arcade and restaurant chain to Oak Hill Capital Partners in a $570 million deal. D&B chief executive Steven King said the new owner will help the company continue to expand...

Disney Is Closing Most ESPN Zone StoresMarcus WebbFive ESPN Zone venues will close on June 16, leaving just two units of the chain operating in Los Angeles and Anaheim. The venues closing are in Baltimore, Chicago, New York City, Las Vegas and Washington...

Ecast Premieres Orianthi's Believe Album Re-ReleaseTim SanfordEcast is showcasing the U.S. re-release of fast-rising rock guitarist and songwriter Orianthi's Believe album on its 10,000 touchscreen jukeboxes. Four new tracks will be exclusive through June 8...

IL House Okays VLT Expansion Bill, Awaiting Gov's SignatureMarcus WebbA bill that makes various changes to Illinois's Video Gaming Act passed the state's House. If signed by the governor, the bill will amend the gaming act to permit "penny video poker" machines, 24/7 operations in truckstops and placements in VFW posts...

IT Charity Championship Tourneys Aid Families Of Service PersonnelNick MontanoGolden Tee has built a following of devoted players during its long evolution and expansion into 100,000 bars. This player community created its own charitable organization, Video Golfers for Underdogs, which is planning tournaments to aid families of active-duty members of the armed forces...

Namco Celebrates 30th Anniversary Of Pac-Manby Staff ReporterPac-Man, Namco's iconic dot-munching arcade hit, officially turned 30 on May 22. Namco Bandai, the current corporate incarnation of the videogame company and a Japanese toy giant, is holding an official birthday party on June 15...

New Vacuum-Pickup Retrofit Kit Updates Crane EquipmentNick Montano
Adastra Inc. has licensed patents that gives the company rights to design and manufacture vacuum pickup retrofit kits for cranes. The Beam Me Up upgrade is designed to convert any existing crane game easily...

Primary Leisure Introduces KidsTV KioskTim SanfordNew from England's Primary Leisure is KidsTV, a compact booth that invites children to enjoy cartoons displayed on a large flatscreen video monitor...

Sega Profits Up Nearly 200% In Fiscal 2009by Staff ReporterSega Sammy Holdings said profits rose almost 200% for the fiscal year ended March 31. The company posted a net margin of $218.5 million for the year even though total sales dropped more than 10% from the prior year to $4.2 billion...

Speed Pool Record To Be Attempted At VNEA TourneyNick Montano
An attempt by Dave Pearson to break the world record for speed pool will be among several high spots at Valley National 8-Ball League Association's 30th Anniversary International Championship in Las Vegas…

Allstar Kicks Off Social Media CampaignNick MontanoAllstar Vending is rolling out an aggressive Internet marketing and social media program. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube will help deliver the bulk vending supplier's messages...

Brand's Sqwishland Beta Site Goes Live June 1by Staff ReporterBrand Vending Products reports that a free beta test version of its Sqwishland online game will go live on June 1. Sqwishland features characters made familiar to kids by Brand's capsuled squishy toys…

Northwestern Debuts Side-By-Side Coin Mech For Model 60 Bulk VenderHank Schlesinger
Northwestern’s Richard Bolen went back to the drawing board to redesign the coin mech for his company’s popular Model 60 bulk vender. The new coin mech features all of the quality of a Northwestern mech plus intuitive side-by-side configuration for customer ease of use...

Keurig Debuts Iced Coffee, Tea K-CupsEmily JedGreen Mountain Coffee is rolling out Keurig K-Cup portion packs that create iced coffee or iced tea at the touch of a button. The Brew Over Ice K-Cups are specifically designed to brew directly over ice...

Kraft Launches Tassimo Professional Brewer For Smaller WorkplacesTim Sanford
The new Tassimo Professional T-65 CUL single cup brewing system is engineered to make smart use of the limited space characteristic of midsize businesses. Designed for easy installation, it need only be plugged into the wall and it’s ready to go...

Kraft Site Helps Maximize Snack SalesEmily JedKraft Foodservice's Web portfolio now includes tools to help operators sell snacks. A new section to the foodservice site shows how to stock the right products, in the right place...

MooBella Rolls Out Self-Serve Ice Creameries In New England SitesTim SanfordMooBella Inc. has installed its novel Ice Creamery systems in five New England institutions of higher learning, nine hospitals and the Boston Aquarium. The Ice Creamery is a fully automated, self-service ice cream portion dispenser that offers the patron a choice of two varieties, 12 flavors and three mix-ins to create any of 96 selections...

Wolfgang Puck Debuts New Coffee PackagingEmily Jed
Wolfgang Puck Coffee has redesigned the packaging across its entire coffee line to enhance its brand recognition and better differentiate its products from other brands...

Bid Aggressively To Leverage Growthby Allan Z. GilbertWhen I was an operator, I regularly cursed competitors who stupidly bid high commission rates. However, over time I learned that the only thing worse than a bid that is overly aggressive, is one that is overly conservative... by Allan Z. Gilbert

Research Graphs Cashless Payment Impact On Profitby Michael LawlorResearch in the vending marketplace is providing convincing evidence that cashless payment technology is dramatically transforming the industry, improving margins and ushering in exciting new growth... by Michael Lawlor

Knight Offers Custom Tool Kits For Skilled TradesTim Sanford
Knight Educational Products is now offering custom toolkits to meet the needs of a variety of skilled trade industries. More than 80 tools and six different hard and soft cases can be tailored for specific requirements...

Lista Markets Modular Benches For Service, Repair DepartmentsTim SanfordLista International now offers a line of enhanced service and repair workbenches. These are part of a fully integrated modular storage-and- workspace system. The workbenches are well suited to a wide range of maintenance applications, including vending machine and component repair...

Videx CyberKey Vault Enhances Key ControlEmily Jed
Videx has introduced two "smart" key cabinets, the CyberKey Vault (for a single key) and CyberKey Vault20 (holding as many as 20). Both add two levels of security to the physical protection afforded by traditional cabinets...

AAMA Sets 2010 Confab, Distributor Bash Near O’Hare Airport In Julyby Staff ReporterThe American Amusement Machine Association has announced that its 2010 annual meeting will be held at the Hilton Indian Lakes Resort in Bloomingdale, IL, from July 27 through 30. The resort is situated about 30 minutes west of Chicago’s O’Hare Airport...

American Vending Sales Plans 3 VLT Expositions For Illinois In MayTim SanfordThe nuts and bolts of video lottery terminal operation will be explored at a series of VLT Expos conducted throughout Illinois by American Vending Sales. They're set for May 17 (Monday) in Mt. Vernon, for operators in the southern part of the state; May 18 (Tuesday) in Peoria, for the industry in central Illinois; and May 20 (Thursday) in AVS's hometown, Elk Grove Village...

Betson Plans OCS/Vending Expo In New Jersey, Aug. 19Tim SanfordPlans for the inaugural Northeast Coffee Service & Vending Expo are under way. Organized by Betson Enterprises, the one-day exposition will be held at Crowne Plaza Meadowlands Hotel and Exhibition Center in Secaucus, NJ, on Aug. 19...

Club Lucky To Host Preferred Vendor Event In FallNick MontanoThe Club Lucky Group will hold its second annual Preferred Vendor Event on Friday, Oct. 22, at the Grand Geneva resort in Wisconsin. Club Lucky's Tournament of Champions III will be held the same day…

EVA Plans 'Vending 2020' Conference For Madrid On June 10 And 11Tim SanfordThe European Vending Association has scheduled its next conference, titled "Vending 2020," for Madrid, Spain, for June 10 and 11. Themed "A Glimpse into the Future of Vending," the conference is being organized with the objective of helping participants anticipate future trends likely to affect the industry over the next decade...

Mid-America Association, MWDA Plan Joint Confab For June 11-13Tim SanfordThe Resort at Port Arrowhead in Lake Ozark, MO, will be the setting for a joint convention organized by the Mid-America Automatic Merchandising Association and the Missouri Wholesale Distributors Association. It's scheduled for June 11 through 13...

NAMA Sets Date For Fall Executive Development ProgramEmily JedNAMA's 2010 Executive Development Program will take place from Oct. 3 to 6. The certificate course, presented by the vending association in conjunction with MSU's School of Hospitality Business is designed to enhance the knowledge...

NY Vending Association Plans June 9 Dinner MeetingEmily JedThe New York State Automatic Vending Association is planning a dinner meeting in Westchester County on Wednesday, June 9. NYSAVA officials and lobbyists will update operators the status proposed state legislation threatening the industry...

Bringing Cashless Vending Into FocusAlicia LavayNAMA's new Cashless Solutions program is the talk of the industry. If you are aware of it but are still confused, I have a sneaking suspicion that you're not alone... by Alicia Lavay-Kertes